Chapter 10
Near the battlecruiser's bow, a viper probe droid hums as it crosses the hallway. A small furry alien and the petite Twi'lek recoil fearfully from it.
"I know it's hard," the Grand Commander implores them. "-but don't be afraid,"
"I told you," Moira snarls. "I'm not done with Waa Kee!"
"He'll be surrounded by my troops, he can't escape," the commander motions for calm. Next, the commander turns to the giant segmented creature, "Will you fight too?"
It nods. The commander pushes his club, and weightless it floats in a straight line. The alien catches it with massive three-finger hands, answering with a dull tone. "cOM-an-DEr."
"Laou is hard to understand," Moira admits. "But he's almost as tough as the Draugr."
The commander nods, then orders the viper, "Carry them to engineering and brief the lieutenant. Have them checked and give them rations. Then return to us as quickly as possible."
"Some won't like resources wasted on aliens," the stormtrooper officer grunts.
"They'll follow orders," the commander replies.
The droid beeps before holding out two spindly legs. Both Waa Kee and the Twi'lek hesitantly take it, stiffening when another wraps around their waists to stabilize them. The droid uses its manipulators to create both a seat and a handhold before zooming down the hallway towards the cruiser's aft.
The commander draws an unused hold-out blaster from a scout trooper's ankle holster. The scout complies with only a look and nod before the commander offers, "I'll trade with you, Moira. Keep the knife and take this blaster, then lead us to the bridge."
She smiles cautiously, before exchanging the ax for the pistol.
"Let's go!" She rallies and bounds wall to wall down the hallway. The commander returns to his assault armor and swings inside, while his troops march ahead. The hatch closes with a heavy 'thunk' before activating. Soon, the mixed platoon reaches a set of large blast doors, spacetroopers stand in front as the rest of the troopers take cover behind them.
"You'll never get through the blastdoor!" Pirates taunt them through the console beside the door. "Reinforcements are on their way!"
"They're bluffing," Moira dismisses the threat. "It took everything just to force this many Thalassians to work together. No one will rescue them."
"Ready stun grenades, blasters set for stun!" The Grand Commander raises his laser cutter and slices through the locks connecting the doors at the center. Using the armor's powerful hands, he pries the first set of doors apart. Two more spacetroopers seize the second set of doors and rip them open. Instantly blasts strike the commander's armor, harmlessly. Stun grenades land among the pirates, and blue light immobilizes them in a single breath. At that moment, of the dozen pirates on the bridge, all but a handful fall.
The worm-like alien surges through the door, crushing one before hurling another aside. Stormtroopers rush through the opening he creates.
The bridge is slightly more maintained; dirt and rust exist only at the edges where the consoles fasten to the deck. At the far end of the bridge, a square window looks out to the stars. A helmsman's chair is surrounded by consoles, sitting directly before it. With consoles of its own, the captain's luxurious seat takes center stage, marking its significance. More consoles for secondary stations line the walls and a holonet transmitter stands near the entrance.
"We surrender!" Screams one pirate clinging to a central hologram emitter.
The imperials swiftly disarm them before dragging the Thalassians into a corner. The pirate clinging to the table raises his hands, revealing the ostentatious uniform covered in metals.
The commander demands, "Turn off the jamming and-"
"That's not him!" Moira roars, grabbing the pirate, screaming, "Where is the captain?"
The pirate babbles nonsense until she shakes him violently. "He's taking the maintenance tunnel to the docking bay. You can catch him if you leave now."
"I told you we were wasting time with the slaves," the stormtrooper officer complains.
"Close the bay door," the commander orders.
"We can't. He cut the lines after opening them."
"Iona cut the jamming, and request TIEs from the Inevitable. Swanson, search and lock down the bridge. The rest of you secure the area until reinforcements arrive."
"Sir, yes sir!" They chant.
"Moira, you can fly."
"That's not a question," she smirks, then hurriedly adds. "Damn right, I can."
"Climb on Moira, you too Gary. Lead us to the docking bay."
"Most men buy me a drink before asking me to ride them."
"Ha-ha-ha!" Gary laughs. "I knew I'd like you!"
"Hold tight!" The commander releases the magnetic charge on his boots, floating. Then he engages his armor's thrusters, rocketing out of the bridge, and down the hall.
"Turn right," she says. "It's midway of the ship on a lower deck!"
Both his passengers grunt when the commander bounces off a wall. Extending his arms, he manages his flight to cushion the impacts. They fly down the main corridor to a turbolift.
"We have to descend five floors," Moira directs. The commander tears open the doors instead of waiting. He drops five decks, stomps the turbolift, and forces it down one more deck.
Immediately upon opening the doors, blasts strike his armor. Moira and Gary flinch, taking cover. Across the hall, pirates fire before retreating further within a room.
"Ignore them!" Moira yells. "They're trying to delay us!"
The commander blasts the doorway before racing by; a rogue shot hits his armor.
"That was close!" Gary screams.
"We'll save time down the main corridor!" Moira yells, her red hair flapping. "The docking bay is just ahead through that doorway! Those pirates may have warned the captain!"
Dented bulkhead doors lead to a vast chamber, within exhaust from a transport lingers around the ship's thrusters. As soon they arrive, the ship lifts off, and blasts strike the Zero-G assault armor. The pirates guarding the transport scream angrily as the shuttle abandons them. Desperately, they flee towards the other ships within the bay, a mixture of TIE uglies and shuttles. The commander raises his left arm, aiming, and unleashes a torpedo.
The missile flies unerringly but the captain's survival instincts are superior; he slams the shuttle into the deck. It scrapes its belly along the floor before dipping out of the bay, narrowly avoiding doom. Behind them, the other pirates arrive, catching the imperials in a crossfire.
"Jump off!" The commander fires his cannon between the fleeing pirates and the ships. The blast causes the pirates to recoil in surprise. Both Gary and Moira jump off the armor and return fire. Although the commander's armor is impervious to small arms, his companions are not. Under the barrage of blasterfire, they huddle beneath him.
Moira shouts, "He's escaping with his treasury...or whatever he could gather!"
While shielding the pair, the commander's eyes dart about before locking on one of the TIE Uglies. The Y-wing's twin ion engines had been replaced with a pair of TIE's octagon-shaped wings. What truly captures him is the bubble turret, dating it to the Clone Wars. The commander turns, blasting the doorway with cannonfire, as blaster bolts strike his armor
"There! Take that ship and catch the pirate before he can make the jump to lightspeed."
Gary fires and marches across to the ladder. Moira hesitates but follows a second later, lunging straight to it. Using his thrusters, the commander rises to the center of the hanger bay, drawing the pirate's attention and fire. From all sides the pirates bombard him with blasterfire, slowly burning through his armor. Alarms sound and his screens display damage. Triggering his trusters, he rotates, to fire at each of the small groups of pirates.
Gary rushes up the ladder and hops inside the turret. Floating weightlessly, Moira pulls herself inside the cockpit before closing the canopy. She hits several buttons but the engine spits smoke and sputters. Banging the console with her fist, she tries again. The engine coughs repeatedly until it roars. The sound draws more blasts, but they're safe inside. Shaking with the effort, the ship rises from the deck, before cruising out the hanger doors.
Now that his team is safe; the commander turns to the nearest group of pirates. He triggers his thrusters, racing straight at them, and slams into their position. A pair of pirates are squashed alongside the crates they took cover behind. His laser cutter bisects another, as the last flees towards the doors. His comrades feel no sympathy, slaughtering the pirate as they continue their barrage. When the commander blasts the door, the rest retreat to the corridor beyond.
More warnings flash across the commander's screens, power fluctuates, and his consoles dim. Desperate, the commander takes cover near a shuttle, even as his armor slows.
Suddenly, a series of blasts cause the pirates to panic. Red flashes warn of fire and counterattack. The commander levels his cannon and launches a blast straight into the hallway, leading to a pause. Then cautiously, a probe droid peeks into the hanger.
"Excellent timing," the commander comments, recognizing the probe he'd sent with the Twi'lek and alien. A final warning crosses his screen, and his armor shuts down.
"sheee-mmander, come in."
"This is the Grand Commander, go ahead."
"I shut down the jamming," Iona details, "The bridge is secured, so is the Inevitable."
"What's the status of our TIEs?"
"I called for aid, sir but Captain Shilling ordered them all to dock."
"Are you saying there's no pickets flying security?" The commander closes his eyes; furious, he regains his composure before speaking. "Well done, Iona. Ask permission to move closer to the Inevitable to transfer wounded, prisoners, and troops."
"Yes sir, what about the shuttle that left the hanger?"
"That's in Gary and Moira's hands."
"You trust her, sir?"
The commander considers her question, "I trust her to look out for her best interests. At this moment, it's catching that shuttle."
The rear turret on the shuttle fires wildly at the pursuing Y-TIE, one blast hitting the shields. Moira evades, first spinning, then altering her approach vector as she closes.
"Ughhhh," Gary groans as vertigo sends his stomach for a loop. "I'll ask the Inevitable to target it with tractor beams."
"Don't bother, he's traveling in the battlecruiser's shadow. Only the tractor beams along the bow would be able to reach it," Moira answers. "Fire the ion cannon."
Gary activates and grabs the controls, the targeting computer displays info and indicators. He fires, then again, but his vertigo and upset stomach causes him to miss badly.
"Oh yeah, you shoot like a stormtrooper."
"Shutup!" Gary fires again, barely glancing the ship's shields.
"If you don't hit it, she's going to get away," Moira points out. Then her tone changes, "How come the Grand Commander chose you?"
"What-ugh?" Gary cries as the ship goes through a spin.
"He had officers, techs, and a bunch of troopers but he chose you without hesitation. I'm guessing it wasn't your skill with a blaster."
"Are you trying to distract me?" Gary clenches his jaw. "Focus on the shuttle."
"Oh I'm focused," she fires the heavy cannons from the Y-Wing's bow, cutting straight through the shuttle's shields and damaging one of the four thrusters. Blue lightning arcs across the shuttle's aft before sparks spit and the shuttle shudders and slows. "Your commander wants to capture the shuttle, not destroy it, so the rest is up to you. Squeeze, just like a blaster."
Gary squeezes, hitting the ship dead center. Ionized particles cause electrical discharges all across the ship's aft. The shuttle shakes as it loses power and struggles to maintain speed. Its shields fail and Gary seizes the moment, his first shot misses but two more strike the shuttle. As the electrical arcing continues, lights fade across the transport until it slows to a powerless crawl.
"TK 74141 to the Inevitable," Gary calls. "Tow the pirate shuttle out of the battlecruiser's shadow with a tractor beam from the bow. Then pull her into the main shuttle bay."
"Understood TK 74141," a comm officer replies. "Standby."
Moira circles the ship once, scanning it, "Ship is crippled and power is down. You still haven't answered. Why you, and why'd you convince the commander to fight me?"
"Does it matter? You won," Gary replies, suddenly nervously. He knows she can't jump to hyperspace, they don't have an astromech, but the questions put him on edge.
"At least tell me if he'll keep his promise."
"Yes," he replies defensively. "He gave you his word."
"Wow, no hesitation," her voice peaks with surprise. "I've dealt with a few imps and I couldn't trust a single one…but, you believe it. Are you going to tell me why he chose you?"
"It's not important."
Suddenly she rolls the Y-TIE, causing Gary to nearly hurl. He grips the controls and groans loudly before she swings the vessel. The ship creaks as it somersaults through space.
"URAHhhhh," Gary groans loudly. "Stop! He thinks I'm lucky!"
"Bantha podoo!" She growls.
"No, it's the truth, I swear." Gary gulps air. "I don't think I like you anymore."
"Aye, but you respect me now."
He thinks about it, "No, no I just don't like you."
She laughs heartily, and he has to admit it's infectious. "Will you give me a chance?"
"No," he jokes before asking. "What does it matter?"
"Maybe I'm looking for a husband, ha-ha. I have to assume you imps will betray me," she replies casually but Gary doesn't believe it. Moira continues, "We have time until the shuttle is docked, and we're the only security. Are we landing there or returning to the battlecruiser?"
"Good question," he says, switching on the comm. "Gary to the Grand Commander."
"Go ahead, Gary."
"Mission accomplished, the Inevitable is towing the shuttle to the main hanger. Should we return to the battlecruiser or Inevitable?"
"Return to the Inevitable and prep the reinforcements for deployment to the battlecruiser. I want every meter scanned on the battlecruiser too, once it's secured."
"Understood, Gary out."
"Are you an officer? I can't tell, you all look the same."
"That's kind of the point. It makes it hard to pick us off, but no, I'm not."
"You're not an officer but you're briefing the reinforcements?"
She distracted me with the question about the shuttle, "So? I'm a veteran."
"Not at shooting, he picks you by name, not the TK number you used to contact the Inevitable. He heeds your advice over everyone else in his command. I saw the girl arguing against it. Now, he sends you to prep the reinforcements, solely because he thinks you're lucky?"
Poo-doo! Gary curses silently.